Nuclear battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov to enter service with Russian Navy in 3-4 years
The heavy nuclear missile battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov will be part of the Russian Navy in the next three to four years, TASS reports, citing Alexei Rakhmanov, President of the United Shipbuilding Corporation.
“We will transfer Nakhimov in 2020-2021, I think. We are working on this project, taking into consideration the changes there have been in the work volume,” Rakhmanov told Interfax news agency.
According to Rakhmanov, as a result of the upgrade, Admiral Nakhimov will have entirely new performance characteristics, and it will significantly enhance the potential of the Russian Navy. The plan to modernize the vessel entails a replacement of the missile and artillery systems, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated previously.
Amongst other things, Admiral Nakhimov will carry Kalibr cruise missiles. The ship will be fitted with new Poliment-Redut anti-air missile systems, and its anti-air ammunition supplies will be significantly augmented.
The battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov Project 1144 “Orlan” was named Kalinin until 1992. It was established on May 7, 1983 at the Baltic Shipyard. The ship was launched on April 25, 1986. On December 30, 1888, it was added to the military composition of the Navy. On April 22, 1992, it was renamed Admiral Nakhimov. The battlecruiser underwent scheduled maintenance in August 1999.
A total of four Orlan-class battlecruisers were built for the Navy. One of these, Pyotr Veliky, is in a combat-ready condition. Its modernization will start in 2019 after the work on Admiral Nakhimov at Sevmash shipbuilding plant is completed.